86 The Meadow The river wound and twisted, and led them up the mountain. “A forest? You’re pulling my leg, Amanda. Wish I had seen something a tenth as interesting. The river is a little narrower still, and the land is just this awful flat prairie. It’s so dry. Other than that, everything’s fine. One of these days we’ll actually connect with each other. Jacob out.” Amanda listened to the message and left her own, again unable to reach Jacob. “Sorry you haven’t seen much, Jacob. I swear the forest was real. But we’re seeing much more than that. We’re on our way up a mountain right now. We saw buildings. Birds! I practically fell out of the canoe when we heard them singing! Something’s going on here; the Doctor and I have a few ideas. She won’t tell me hers yet. I think we’ve found an area that somehow wasn’t affected by the bombs. “The Doctor wants you to check in every hour from now on. Amanda out.” The band of brown-skinned men standing on the riverbank startled Amanda into silence. They held spears and bows and had feathers in their hair. Dirty furs and hides covered their bodies. They stared at Amanda the way she stared at them, too surprised to do anything. Then, the men sang. Bailey jerked up from her computer, rocking the canoe sideto-side. The men cried aloud, wailing, and after a moment the women discerned a melody. It sent shivers down their spines, like the whistle of descending bombs. They sat in their canoe and listened; mouths glued shut. The tribe followed them, snaking through the trees, and though they carried weapons none ever came to bear toward the river. The river trailed away, and the men faded behind them. Their song dwindled, farther and farther, and then as if a great blade of silence descended onto them it stopped; Amanda and
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